When playing golf, the golfer often strives to obtain the longest distance when striking the ball in order to carry the ball further down the fairway. This can be accomplished either by developing the strength and skill of the golfer or using a golf club shaft of a more flexible material such as light, thin-walled tubular metal, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other composites. The added flexibility in the shaft is intended to deliver the head of the shaft at a greater velocity when the head strikes the ball. This greater velocity being achieved not only by the stroke of the golfer swinging the club, but also the recovery of the energy stored in the shaft when it is initially being flexed so that part of that springiness in the flex will be recovered as velocity at the club head just prior to striking the ball.
The difficulty with more flexible golf club shafts, however, is that the less experienced golfer loses control of the exact angle at which the face of the club head strikes the ball at the moment of contact with the ball. This results in the ball not traveling straight even though it may have a longer distance. In addition, the increased flex of the shaft will result in a twist at the grip end of the shaft or a bending at the grip end of the shaft which results in the golfer loosening the golfing grip, allowing the club to slip or twist in the hands of the golfer. This destroys the desired feel of the club grip, and also can cause the ball to travel in a non-straight path.
Different types of shaft stiffening devices have been shown in prior literature. However, these are difficult to install and, once installed, result in a permanent change in the stiffness of the club shaft.